How Juventus might line up this season
The upcoming season is going to be a period of change for Juventus. On one hand, the club has had to say goodbye to a legend, Gianluigi Buffon. But on the other hand, they have welcomed Cristiano Ronaldo in a shocking €120 million switch from Real Madrid during the summer.
The Turin based club has also managed to bring in highly rated right back, Joao Cancelo, from Valencia in a €40 million deal and the versatile German midfielder, Emre Can, on a free transfer. Club legend, Leonardo Bonucci, has also returned to the club after a dismal season at AC Milan.
With such high-quality arrivals, Juventus are expected to go one step further this year and win the UEFA Champions League. The trophy has eluded Juventus during recent seasons despite the Old Lady going to the finals on two separate occasions under the tutelage of Allegri.
The club is expected to play more attacking football this year in order to fully utilize the goalscoring threat of Cristiano Ronaldo. Allegri will be looking to set up the team in their familiar 4-3-3 formation but with significantly more attacking intent than during previous seasons.
Here is each of the potential starting XI for Juventus in this coming season.
Goalkeeper
Wojciech Szczesny
Szczesny is now clearly the first choice goalkeeper at Juventus after Buffon's summer move to Paris Saint-Germain. The Polish star will finally have his chance to shine after biding his time on the bench last season.
Many fans might consider him to be the weak link of this team. However, he has shown that he is completely capable of being a first choice goalkeeper during his time at AS Roma.
Defenders
Right Back: Joao Cancelo
The highly rated summer arrival is expected to be the first choice right back for Allegri this season. The Portuguese international possesses burning pace as well as enough defensive ability to be a permanent fixture in this Juventus side for years to come.
However, just in case he goes down with an injury or has an unlikely streak of bad games, Juventus has an experienced campaigner in the form of Juan Cuadrado on the bench as back up.
Left Back: Alex Sandro
At one point it looked as if Alex Sandro was surely gonna leave Juventus this summer. He has been linked with Manchester United all summer. But with only one day left in the English transfer window, it is safe to say that Juventus have managed to hold on to the Brazilian.
Alex Sandro is a left back cut from the same cloth as Ronaldo's former teammate, Marcelo. It is expected that Alex Sandro will thrive with the Portuguese goal machine in the team, much like his Brazilian compatriot did back in Madrid.
Centre Back: Giorgio Chiellini
The 33-year-old, hard-nosed Italian defender has been in a mainstay in the Juventus line-up since 2005 and is not expected to give up his position in the middle of defense anytime soon. With more than 350 appearances for Juventus under his belt, Chiellini has been named as the new captain of the club after the departure of longtime captain, Gianluigi Buffon.
Starting as a left back, Chiellini managed to morph into one of the most reliable central defenders in world football. With the return of his partner in crime, Leonardo Bonucci, he will be expected to be rock solid at the back again.
Centre Back: Leonardo Bonucci
After a confusing move to AC Milan last summer, the Italian defender is back at Juventus after suffering a disappointing season at the San Siro. He will be looking to pick off from right where he left off, by reforming his defensive partnership with compatriot, Giorgio Chiellini. The pair had one of the most formidable partnerships in Europe before Bonucci left for Milan.
Next up, Midfielders.